Smoked Amberjack & RV Campfire

Saturday night we planned to cook the last of our fish from Florida and have an RV campfire. We had two huge steaks of amberjack to cook and share. I had to use up the last of our Florida fish because I needed to defrost our RV refrigerator the next day. I had put it off far too long.

Our RV neighbor has a wonderful wood fired smoker and we asked if he'd oblige us by cooking the amberjack. We've previously taken advantage of his expert smoking abilities with the end result being a meal we could share with him.

As we suspected from previous results the outcome was exceptional. The thick amberjack steaks were smoked to perfection with oak and a bit of hickory thrown in completing the balance of the smokey flavor.

While Robert, our RVneighbor, and I prepared the meal, Gary kept the campfire going. We have been gathering downed wood in the nearby woods and a pack Gary got at the local stop and go store. Later the fire accompanied the stories we swapped after we devoured the delicious meal.

Strange as it may seem I made a creamy white wine reduced sauce for the fish and a multi-layered concoction of rice to accompany the main course. I say strange since one would probably never choose a creamy wine sauce for a smoked fish. Somehow the light rich sauce complemented the smokey fish flavors just so, much to our surprise and delight.

I'm beginning to really appreciate the large metal barrel shaped smokers we see used so often in the countryside in our travels. Earlier in the afternoon I could hear Robert chopping the wood for the smoker. The simple task of others preparing for a meal with friends. The repetitive sound of the ax on the wood was relaxing and meditative. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.